Toshiba Camileo Z100 3D camcorder pictures and hands-on

Over in Vegas at CES 2012, Toshiba announced its first full HD 3D camcorder, the Camileo Z100 and Pocket-lint was on hand to give it a spin.

The dual-lens system on board allows the camcorder to capture 3D at Full HD via two, 5-megapixel backside illuminated CMOS sensors. It also features a glasses-free 3D monitor to enable you to see what you're recording without the need for bulky glasses. This monitor isn't as clear as the one on the 3DS but it did the job of letting you know what you were recording and what sort of 3D action you were grabbing.

Toshiba also claims that the backside illumination allows this camera to capture 3D in any lighting conditions, even if light is less than optimal. The footage we nabbed on the trade show floor looked pretty good played back on the Tosh 3D TV on display and the lighting in the LVCC is shoddy at best.

The Z100 also features an 8x optical zoom which works even during 3D shooting. For 2D, there's an electronic zoom that can magnify the image by 120x. For those shots, an electronic image stabiliser will help to even out the inevitable camera shake. Video recording can perform face tracking, to keep people in focus, while still shots also benefit from smile detection. Still photos can be shot up to 16 megapixels.

The camcorder can handle SD cards up to 128GB (with SDXC). There's both HDMI and USB sockets, in their smaller, mini form factor. The built-in 2.8-inch screen is also touch-sensitive, so menus are simpler and easy to navigate.

We found the screen pretty responsive to the touch and the build quality of the Z100 to be good. It feels pretty light in the hand; weighing 285g and measuring in at 120 x 54 x 62mm.

The Camileo Z100 will be available in the UK from Q2 2012, no word on pricing just yet.